Obituaries

Leta M. Hunter

Elizabeth Gray
Services for Elizabeth M. “Janie” Gray, 89, Kemp, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 28, 2007, at the First Baptist Church in Tool with Ed Brennan officiating. Interment will follow in the Oaklawn Cemetery in Mabank.
Gray was born Oct. 27, 1917, in Decatur, Ill., the daughter of the late Robert Lee and Della Ruth Morris. She was preceded in death by her husband Elmer Lee Gray, brothers Don Morris and Harrald Hayford.
She has been a resident of Kemp since 1983, moving here from San Diego, Calif. She was a homemaker and member of the First Baptist Church of Tool.
Survivors include son Jerry Allen Gray, Gun Barrel City; grandsons Glenn and wife Lorraine Gray, Kemp; and Ty Gray, California; nine great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church in Tool building fund.

Arnold Warren
Services for Arnold Warren, 81, Canton, were held April 24, 2007, at Eubank Chapel in Canton. Burial was in Moorehead-Melton Cemetery under the direction of Eubank Funeral Home in Canton.
Warren was born June 21, 1925, in Athens to Luther and Alice Steele Warren and died April 22, 2007, in Canton. He was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Mabank and grew up in Henderson County. He was married March 17, 1943, and was a U.S. Army veteran serving in World War II.
He worked at Sanger Bros. in Dallas for 28 years and moved to Cedar Creek Lake in 1967, then to Canton in 1994.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years Florence Laverne Warren, Canton; daughters Linda and Jim Roesle, Canton; Betty and Wayne Neubauer, Kemp; Barbara and Robert Wilkerson, Canton; grandchildren Kevin Perkins, Greg Perkins, Clint Perkins, Brad Bryant, Lori Bryant, Scott Bryant, Blake Bryant and Zachary Waters; 11 stepgrandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; brother Jimmy Ray Warren, Sun City; and sister Aline Snyder, Newport Richey, Fla.
Pallbearers were Kevin Perkins, Brad Bryant, Greg Perkins, Scott Bryant, Blake Bryant, Clint Perkins and Zachary Waters.

Billie Blaricum
Open House in memory of Billie June Van Blaricum, 76, Tool, will be held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28, 2007, at her home.
Arrangements are under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Blaricum was born Nov. 16, 1930, in Cooper and died April 23, 2007, in Athens.
She was a homemaker and had lived in Tool since 1965. She was a kind, generous and compassionate person.
Survivors include her sister Bobbie Ruth Baker, Frisco; brothers Leonard Starks, Humble; and Robert Wayne Starks, Killeen; nieces, nephews, other family members and many friends.

Paul England
Mass of Christian Burial was held for Paul “Buddy” England, 75, Eustace, April 25, 2007, at St. Jude Catholic Church in Gun Barrel City with the Rev. Francis O’Dowd officiating. Burial was in Moorehead-Melton Cemetery in Henderson County under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
England was born Jan. 25, 1932, in Dallas and died April 21, 2007, in Bonham. He was preceded in death by his parents George Levi and Mary Lou England, brother G.I. England, sister Sally M. Bryant and granddaughter Krysta Lynn Rutter.
He had lived most of his life in Eustace and was a member of the St. Jude Catholic Church and Disabled American Veterans. He was married in Alhambra, Calif., May 30, 1952, and was the owner and operator of Paul E. England Insurance Agency in Gun Barrel City and Athens. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, serving in the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife Nancy England, Eustace; son Christopher P. England and wife Cindy Jo, Mabank; daughters Teresa Jo Rutter and husband Alan, Eustace; Mary L. Pittman and husband Tom, Frognot; Paula Ann England, Peyton, Colo.; Karen J. Moore, Athens; and Nancy E. England, Tyler; brother John A. England, Dunwoody, Ga.; 11 grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers were Alan Rutter, Timothy Rutter, Tom Pittman, Kyle Moore, Christopher England, Michael Grider and Dante Casana.

Julia Townsend
Arrangements for Julia Keightley “Julia Delle” Townsend, are under the direction of Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank.
Townsend was born Aug. 8, 1919, in Parkin, Ark., to Roger and Lula Stevenson and died April 17, 2007, after a lengthy illness. She was preceded in death by both husbands.
She attended Scarritt College in Tennessee where she received a BA degree.
She married the Rev. Dr. Carl E. Keightley Dec. 12, 1942. Following his death in 1988, she married longtime family friend, the Rev. Robert L. Townsend in 1992.
She was a supportive wife, loving mother, devoted grandmother and a great support system to her church families. Her passions in life centered around the fine arts, focusing on painting, sculpting and playing the violin.
Survivors include her daughters Anne Moskow, Minneapolis, Minn.; and Cheryl Nekuza, Mabank; five granddaughters in Minnesota and Texas.

Nancy Watts
Nancy Camille Turner Coke Watts passed away April 9, 2007, at her home in Mabank.
She was born Nov. 19, 1939, to Charles and Mary Louise Huckaba Owens in Overton and was a widowed homemaker.
She moved to this area from Irving in 1972, and was a Baptist by faith. She was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the VFW, the “42 Club of Mabank” and Texas On-line 42.
She is survived by her guardian angel Lucky Mayfield, Mabank; son Michael and wife Jimmie Coke, Kemp; daughter Mary Davis, Lewisville; and son Mark Mayfield, Mabank; also surviving are sisters Peggy Birdsong, Tyler; and Cheryl Jones, Malakoff; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be held noon Saturday, April 28, 2007, in the Community Center of the Pecan Grove Apartments, 401 North Third Street, Mabank.
Arrangements through Tomlinson Funeral Home, Seven Points.

Etta May Tapley
Services for Etta May Tapley, 68, Mabank, were held April 22, 2007, at the First Assembly of God Church in Malakoff, with Bro. Ken Jones officiating.
Interment followed in the Malakoff Cemetery under the direction of Tomlinson Funeral Home in Seven Points.
Tapley was born April 20, 1938, in Blooming Grove to the late Lenard Carl and Lovie D. Murdock and died April 18, 2007, in Tyler.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and husband James Ellis Tapley Sr.
She worked as a supervisor in the hotel industry and loved her family and sports. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Malakoff.
Survivors include daughters Pam and Cliff Hinds, Kemp; Kim and Gene Smith, Eureka; sons James and Sherry Tapley, Ben Wheeler; and Carl and Paula Tapley, Frankston; dear friends of Pecan Grove Apartments in Mabank; and her beloved companion Toots, Mabank.